In a variety of downhole applications, the orientation of well equipment deployed in a wellbore can affect the functionality of the equipment. One such application is coiled tubing drilling which is used in many areas as an efficient method of sidetracking or adding lateral wellbores in existing wells. To drill the lateral or side track, the drilling bottom hole assembly must be “kicked out” of the main wellbore. Conventionally, the kick out has been accomplished with an anchor and whipstock. The whipstock must be oriented so the drilling bottom hole assembly is moved in the desired direction. If the well has a deviation less than fifty degrees, wireline has been used to set the anchor and whipstock using an inclination and azmith tool for correct orientation. However, when the deviation is greater than fifty degrees, coiled tubing is used to set the anchor and whipstock.
To correctly orient the whipstock on coiled tubing, one method employs a modified e-line drilling bottom hole assembly and a coiled tubing drilling rig. Another method is to use a memory tool on standard coiled tubing. However, these methods are not very efficient and can be inaccurate. For example, employing a coiled tubing drilling rig in this type of operation requires operation of the rig at a drilling efficiency substantially less than that for which it was designed in drilling wells. Use of the memory tool on standard coiled tubing also is problematic because this approach requires two trips into the well. Additionally, the latter approach requires moving the coiled tubing into the well on the second trip in exactly the same manner as on the first trip downhole. Such repeatability is difficult because coiled tubing tends to move into the well in a corkscrew type pattern difficult to replicate.